


Try

by TDKeh16



Category: Demon of the Underground (Webcomic)
Genre: Anniversary, Bad Cooking, Cooking, Cooking Lessons, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Oral Sex, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDKeh16/pseuds/TDKeh16
Summary: Belmont makes dinner for Merritt and it's a meal they'll never forget.
Relationships: Belmont/Merritt (Demon of the Underground)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	Try

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out so much longer than I expected it to, but apparently I can write about these idiots in love for hours. Enjoy a bunch of flirting and fluff!

Merritt paused outside Belmont's door and pulled out his phone. Belmont had mentioned that he was going to add Merritt's thumbprint to his scanner, but he was nervous to check. It somehow felt like that would be confirmation that they had taken the next step in their relationship. A relationship they weren't allowed to have in the first place.

_I'm here,_ he texted.

Belmont responded a moment later, _You're early._

_Is that a problem?_ No response. _Belmont?_

_I thought you wouldn't get here for another half hour,_ Belmont finally replied. 

Again, Merritt asked, _Is that a problem?_

_I have my hands full right now._

"With what?" Merritt asked himself quietly. A pang of jealously stabbed his chest. He typed out his next message and sent it before he could think better of it. _With who?_

_For fuck's sake, Merritt. It's nothing like that. Just come back in half an hour._

_Can you call me?_

_I really shouldn't risk it._

Risk what? Merritt had a bad feeling about this. Maybe Belmont wasn't cheating on him, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone else in his apartment. Since when did Belmont care that he arrived early? What was he so busy doing that he couldn't "risk" answering the door?

The thought wasn't lost on Merritt that he had once broken down the door to this very same apartment to find Higgins dead on the floor. That thought of Higgins sent a shudder down his spine for an entirely different reason. Besides, Belmont was texting him... right? Merritt was briefly struck with the worry that Belmont was not only dead or dying, but that the murderer was lurking in his apartment texting Merritt as cover.

Merritt shook the thought from his head. He was being unreasonable. _Open the door Belmont._

_I can't._

_Is my thumbprint approved yet?_

_DON'T COME IN HERE!_

Merritt huffed. He wanted to respect Belmont's privacy, but the suspicious way he was acting worried Merritt too much. Belmont would forgive him for the intrusion much quicker than Merritt would ever forgive himself for ignoring his instincts. He pressed his thumb to the scanner and heard the lock softly click open.

Merritt stepped quietly into Belmont's apartment, and closed the door behind him just as gently as he had opened it. His eyes scanned the vicinity for anything unusual. No signs of a struggle. Nothing obviously missing. He froze. 

Belmont was in the kitchen sitting motionless on one of the stools at his island. His back was to Merritt. He slumped forward slightly, but didn't turn around. 

"Are you all right?" Merritt asked as he approached. Why wasn't Belmont moving? Was he hurt? Paralyzed?

Belmont groaned. "I told you I wasn't ready yet..."

"Since when does that matter?" Merritt asked, trying not to let the relief show in his voice. He tried to think of reasons why Belmont was unwilling to turn around to face him. "If your tie is undone, you should know by now how much I _like_ to see you that way..." he purred.

Belmont gave a short laugh but still refused to turn his head. Merritt came up behind him and placed his hands on Belmont's hips, slowly sliding them forward towards the buckle of his belt. "Now's not a good time for that."

Merritt dropped his hands down to his sides. Okay, something was definitely wrong here. Since when did Belmont not want to be touched? "What's wrong? You need to tell me."

Belmont scoffed and turned his head for a second to flash Merritt an incredulous frown before returning his attention forward. "Will you _relax?_ I'm fine."

Merritt sighed. "If you were fine why didn't you just tell me?"

"I _did_ tell you!"

"Can you look at me at least? What's so--" Merritt followed Belmont's line of vision to his wall-mounted oven. "You're cooking?"

"Surprise," Belmont said with some annoyance. "It should be ready in just under _half a damn hour_."

Merritt smiled. "You're cooking for me?"

"I wouldn't do it for anyone else," Belmont replied as though the answer was obvious.

"Belmont..." Merritt let out a small laugh and rubbed his hand up Belmont's shoulder. "You don't have to stare at it like that."

"No way. I turned my back for a minute with those fucking pancakes and almost burned your place down with us both in it. I'm not taking any chances this time."

Merritt didn't feel like explaining the difference between making a pancake on the stove and baking what looked to be some kind of casserole in the oven. If Belmont was this intent on staring at the wall then who was he to stop him?

Merritt stepped away and removed his jacket and holsters, hooking them on the back of a dining chair. His poison packs were next to join his other weapons at the table. He loosened his tie as he circled back behind Belmont. 

Until they started dating, Merritt had no idea that a side like this to Belmont even existed. It was cute, not that Merritt could ever tell him he thought so. But damn, it was _so_ cute.

Merritt removed his tie and dangled it in front of Belmont's eyes, finally getting his attention. "Just checking."

Belmont grinned and turned in his chair to face Merritt. "Just checking, my ass!"

"I'd like to, but it's kind of hard to do when you're sitting down." Merritt grinned. 

"You--" Belmont cut off his own sentence when his pulled Merritt in for a passionate kiss. It took no time at all for the two men to get lost in the moment. "You're such a fucking nerd!"

Merritt kissed him again, running his hands through his slick brown hair in an effort to dishevel it even a little. All teasing aside, it had been a long week where they barely had a chance to see one another, and Merritt needed to savour every second they could get their hands on each other.

"Ah! Hey! Quit trying to distract me," Belmont tried to object but Merritt was kissing his neck. Belmont moaned, then pushed Merritt back. "Do you have a death wish, man? We might burn!"

Merritt kissed his neck again with a chuckle. "Didn't you set a timer?"

"Who says this is all about the timer? Maybe I'm still mad at you."

Merritt pulled back again, the shock evident on his face. "You're mad at me?"

"A little bit, yeah!"

"I'm sorry I ruined your surprise. I was excited to see you so I snuck over early, and then your texts started to worry me. I shouldn't have invaded your privacy by letting myself in when you didn't--"

"Whoa, okay. Shut up for a second. _That's_ not why I'm annoyed."

Merritt was at a loss. What else could he possibly have done to hurt Belmont's feelings? They had barely seen each other all week, but that wasn't due to anything in either of their control. 

"You really thought I was cheating? Half an hour before I had plans with you that I've been looking forward to all week long? On our _anniversary?_ "

"Anniversary?" Merritt thought back to the articles about the trade embargo the night they had snuck off to celebrate. It had been six months to the day. "Oh. I didn't..." Merritt didn't realize and hadn't planned anything in commemoration like Belmont apparently had. "I didn't get you a gift..."

Belmont scoffed, then laughed. "What kind of gift could you possibly buy me? I don't need any gifts."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I also suspected you were being held hostage and/or murdered?" Merritt asked.

Belmont laughed. "A little, actually." He turned his gaze back to the oven with a grin on his lips. 

"Lucky my thumbprint worked. I was about to break down the door to come rescue you." Merritt took a seat on the stool next to Belmont, and smiled his usual dork smile.

Belmont glanced over at him again, looking like he wanted to say something snarky but decided against it. "My hero," he said instead. He still sounded a little snarky, but Merritt knew that was just how his voice was sometimes.

Merritt smoothed out his tie on the countertop, then ran his fingers along the tie clip Belmont had given him a little more than six months earlier. He hated himself for suspecting Belmont might have been cheating on him at first, but at the same time, Merritt couldn't shake the image of the overloaded jug of tie clips that Belmont had to dole out to whoever he wished.

"Did it ever occur to you that the reason that jug was so full was because I wasn't handing them out to every cute guy who looked my way?"

Merritt jolted. Had he said his thoughts out loud? "I-- Did I--"

"You're easy to read. How many times do I have to tell you that your poker face is shit?" Belmont laughed and shook his head. " _Terrible_ excuse for a blue tie..."

Merritt ignored his teasing and answered Belmont's original question. "Sorry. I guess I never thought about it that way..."

"Well," Belmont began, his eyes still trained on the oven. "In case you were wondering -- I haven't even opened that jug since the day you took a clip. So... interpret that how you will."

That was about as close to a love confession Merritt could ever imagine getting from Belmont, but he felt the need to confirm. "...Do you _love_ me?"

"Of course I love you," Belmont said with a scoff. 

Merritt blinked. "You do?"

"Don't look so shocked, Merritt." Belmont chuckled. "And don't worry about saying it back yet. I'm not that insecure."

"It's just... a little weird to hear you say it when you won't even look me in the eye." Merritt chuckled.

"Oh, for-- Come here!" Belmont stood up and pulled Merritt to his feet as well. He pushed aside Merritt's tie and guided him to hop up to sit on the counter. "I love you. Is that better?"

The intensity in Belmont's green eyes still took Merritt's breath away sometimes. He wondered if he would ever get used to it, or if he would even want to. In a world where so much had to be hidden away, Belmont gave him the freedom to think and feel in ways Merritt never had before. In that moment, too overwhelmed for words, Merritt pulled Belmont in for a frantic kiss.

Belmont happily obliged, wasting no time getting under the hem of Merritt's shirt and pushing it upwards as his hands roamed up his back. Belmont bucked his hips, pulling Merritt in as close as he could while Merritt knotted up fistfuls of Belmont's shirt and hair, desperately clinging to anything that could close that distance between them.

Belmont kissed a trail down Merritt's jaw to his neck, and it took Merritt a minute to realize what he was up to. "Are you still watching the oven?"

"I can do both," Belmont insisted stubbornly. "Don't pretend like this isn't still totally doing it for you." He pointedly looked down at Merritt's lap then back up with a grin.

It was pretty hard to deny how into this Merritt was at that point, so he leaned into the moment. "Why do you think I got here early? It's been a long week. _Too_ long."

"The plot thickens!" Belmont's face lit up with mischievous delight. "You weren't _really_ concerned about my safety. You were about to break my door down because you wanted to get _laid_ , you horny little fuck!" He laughed.

"Can't it be both?" Merritt tried to hold back his grin, but failed.

"Yeah, I'm good with that." Belmont kissed him again, then grabbed Merritt by his hips. "I'll suck your dick right here and now if you beg me."

"Do you need me to beg?"

"No, but I _want_ you to."

"On the counter?"

"It's the only way I can keep an eye on things."

"Is that... sanitary?"

Belmont raised an eyebrow. "Is the stairwell at Yackley’s sanitary?"

Merritt had to give him that one. "Point taken." Belmont dragged his fingers down the length of Merritt's thighs, causing him to forget any and all previous objections. "Do it. Please. Just... _please!_ "

"Fuck." Belmont grinned. "And to think I was going to waste money on Potent tonight. You clearly don't need it."

"No. Get it anyway," Merritt insisted. "We have all night, and..." Belmont was taking too long to make the next move so Merritt kissed him again. "We have an anniversary to celebrate."

Belmont laughed. "Consider it done. You're not going to try framing me for murder again, are you?"

"I didn't," Merritt started, then paused for another impatient kiss. "You were very guilty."

"Prove it." With that, Belmont hooked his arms under Merritt's thighs and up onto his shoulders, sending Merritt onto his back across the kitchen island. "Stay like that."

Merritt nodded obediently. Belmont undid Merritt's belt and tugged his pants off his hips, then stopped. " _Belmont!"_ Merritt pleaded.

"I think dinner's ready," Belmont said as he ducked out from underneath Merritt's legs. "Let's press pause for a bit."

Merritt sat up in a daze as the over timer started to ring. He watched in disbelief as Belmont hurried around the island to shut it off, and remove the tray from the oven. He set the dish down safely on the opposite side of the island from where Merritt had been lying moments before.

"Hungry? Let's eat!" Belmont walked around, stopping to stand between Merritt's knees. "To be continued, right?"

Merritt's eyes went wide. "Wh-- Are you really-- What?"

Belmont grinned wickedly and pulled Merritt in a for another kiss while one hand slipped beneath the waist of his underwear. " _Oh my god,_ could you imagine if I was serious?" He rested his forehead against Merritt's shoulder and laughed. "The recipe says to let it cool for five minutes before serving and..." Belmont stroked his hand in Merritt's lap. "Something tells me you won't even last half that long..."

Some far corner of Merritt's mind told him he should be insulted by that remark, but he promptly shut that down. The rest of him knew that Belmont was absolutely right. "I can't."

Belmont nipped the soft skin at Merritt's hip bone, making him squirm. "To be clear," he began, grinning when Merritt let out an impatient whine, "you want me to suck your dick right now, right?"

"Yes!"

"How _much_ do you want it?"

" _Belmont!_ "

Less than five minutes later, Belmont was serving up the casserole for dinner while Merritt tried to remember his own name. 

"Hm?" 

"I said it was one of those recipes where you stick all of the ingredients into the thing and toss it in the oven. I figured there was no way I could fuck _that_ up."

"It smells nice," Merritt said with a smile. Belmont was doing his best to play it cool, but Merritt knew him well enough by now to read when he was worried.

Merritt took a bite. It wasn't the worst thing he'd tasted in his life, but it was far from the best. There was either too much of something or not enough of something else. Belmont mentioned that the recipe he followed was from an above-ground book, and Merritt had the sneaking suspicion that he hadn't adjusted for the smaller size of Underground produce.

But Merritt spent most of his life eating orphanage slop and army rations, and washing it down with the water from the sub-Norwood slums -- he could summon his poker face for the sake of sparing his boyfriend's feelings.

"You hate it."

Oops. Too late. "I think it has a unique taste," Merritt said as tactfully as he could. There was a sour quality to it he couldn't identify the root of, but it made his salivary glands water and his sinuses burn a little. 

Belmont frowned and took a bite, promptly spitting it back onto his plate, forgoing any shred of etiquette. He saw Merritt about to politely take another bite and sprung from his seat, slapping the fork from his hand. "What the hell, don't do that to yourself!"

"It's not bad," Merritt offered with dorky smile, still trying to cushion the blow to his boyfriend's ego.

"Why are my eyes burning?" Belmont took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't you fucking sneak another bite!" He warned, knowing what Merritt was attempting to do even with his eyes closed.

"It's--"

" _Terrible!_ It's fucking terrible. I think I may have just poisoned us." Belmont coughed. "Okay. Let's think back to school -- is there a corrosive poison that tastes like garbage and burns all the way down your esophagus?"

"I think it's just a little too much vinegar," Merritt suggested.

"I didn't _use_ any vinegar!"

Well, that didn't add up at all. Merritt was stumped. "Are you sure? That's basically all I can taste."

"This is-- I knew I should have watched it closer!"

"I don't think that would have solved it..."

"What's wrong the people on the surface? Probably melted the shit out of their taste buds if this is the kind of trash they eat!" Belmont picked up his plate and Merritt's and carried them back to the kitchen, dumping the contents into the garbage. 

Again, Merritt was sure that wasn't the case. "I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way you hoped. Maybe it's better on the second day?"

"Oh hell no! We're not risking that." Belmont attempted to empty the pan into the garbage as well, but it was still too hot from the oven and burned his fingers. He dropped it back onto the counter wordlessly and grabbed the menu for Sheridan that he kept on hand, tossing it onto the table in front of Merritt on his way to the bathroom to apply burn cream to his hands. "If I've burned off my damn thumbprint..." he muttered.

"Can I see?"

"Did you secretly attend medical school too?" Belmont asked sharply, then winced. "Sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on _you._ "

"I mean... I did take a _few_ classes -- it was the College of Science _and Medicine_ \-- but I'm not asking because I think I'm some kind of doctor. I just want to see if you're okay."

Belmont was uncharacteristically quiet as he held out his hands palm up. "I think it's already working, but... if you have any recommendations to speed this up, I'm open to hearing them. I was planning on using these hands _a lot_ over the next dozen or so hours."

As Merritt watched, the redness already appeared to be fading from Belmont's fingers. Between his top-of-the-line healing products, and the fact that it wasn't a serious burn to begin with, Merritt figured he'd be fine. He held Belmont gently by the wrists to spare his stinging hands, and kissed him again. "It means a lot to me that you tried."

"Tried and _failed again_ ," Belmont corrected him.

"The trying is the most important part." Merritt wrapped his arms around his waist and felt Belmont relax against him.

"Fuck, you're so annoying sometimes. Way too positive for your own good."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because if you were a proper pessimist you would have given up on me a long time ago."

"Good thing I didn't, then." Merritt grabbed the Sheridan menu and guided Belmont over to the couch. He sat down between Belmont's long legs so that he could read over Merritt's shoulder. "We can order dinner for tonight, and in the morning... I'll _teach_ you how to make pancakes."

Merritt expected another haughty objection, but instead was answered with Belmont's arms wrapped around his abdomen and a kissed pressed to the side of his head. Whatever frustration or embarrassment Belmont had been feeling earlier had melted away.

"I like that idea," Belmont said quietly. "...If I show you the ingredients I bought, do you think you could figure out where I went wrong?"

"I can give it a shot. Maybe we'll get lucky." Merritt shrugged.

"Oh we're both getting _very_ lucky tonight. I'll make sure of that." Belmont bit down playfully on Merritt's shoulder. He followed it up with a gentle kiss on the same spot. "You sure about the Potent though? It kinda fucked you up last time. Don't get me wrong, I _loved_ to see it, but..."

Merritt smiled. Belmont liked to tease, but he never tried to push him past his limits. _To_ his limits, often. But never past them. If Merritt got overwhelmed from the drug, Belmont would shut the whole night down, but that's exactly why Merritt trusted him enough to try it again. And really, he wanted to get a little overwhelmed for the night. "I want to. I know it was intense last time, but... I want that."

"We'll go for standard-grade then. I have that here already. It will hit you just as hard, but last half the time of the high-grade shit. That way if you change your mind, you're only trying to squirm out of your skin for three hours instead of six."

"You already have Potent here?" Merritt turned his head. 

Belmont scoffed. "Don't give me that look. It doesn't expire. And there was once upon a time when I could get laid literally whenever I wanted and didn't have to wait all week to coordinate busy schedules with my boyfriend, the world's cutest soldier."

"Cutest?"

"And sexiest," Belmont kissed Merritt's neck up to his ear. "You have many sides to you... and I want to bang them all."

Merritt laughed. "You really have a way with words. Remind me to read one of your books someday."

Belmont sighed dramatically. "I might have to give up writing for a while. At least under my most popular pseudonym. My last book was panned by critics."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The most popular review just said, 'What's with this feelings bullshit? Stick to the fucking!' I think I've lost my edge." Belmont, his fingers starting to return to their normal state of feeling after the burns, pulled up the article on his phone to show Merritt.

"Oh. The article is just those nine words, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Your pen name is 'LT Bonem'?"

"It's an anagram of my name. LT, and then Bonem like 'bone him'. Get it?"

" _Wow._ I hate that so much," Merritt said with a laugh.

"That's because you're a prudish little vanilla bean," Belmont teased.

"You still think that after six whole months together?" Merritt turned around and straddled Belmont's lap. "We can change that tonight, if you want?"

Belmont pulled back and arched an eyebrow. "Did I ever say I wanted you to change?" Merritt opened his mouth to speak but Belmont cut in, "--aside from working on your poker face." He grinned.

"Well, no. But..."

"Listen, honey," Belmont said as he rested his hands on Merritt's thighs and gave them a gentle squeeze. "When we're in the bedroom... or on this couch, or in the shower, or at that little hidden pond, or in my office that one time..." Belmont grinned and Merritt let out a little laugh. "I'm only interested in giving you what you want."

"What about what you want?"

"That _is_ what I want." Belmont kissed him. "So if there is something you're _curious_ about, then by all means we can try it out -- but if you're only doing it because you think I want more or will get bored, forget it."

Merritt pressed his lips together in a tight line.

"I knew it!" Belmont laughed as though he had won some wager Merritt hadn't realized they'd been making. "I can think of a lot of words to describe you, honey, but 'boring' never _has_ and never _will be_ one of them." He slid his hands up to Merritt's waist.

"Thank you. I--" Merritt's stomach growled enexpectedly and he blushed. "Did you hear that?"

" _Hear_ it? I **_felt_** it!" Belmont laughed harder and drummed his fingers along Merritt's sides as Merritt's face turned a darker shade of red than he thought was even possible. "Why so embarrassed? _'Oh, I'm Merritt and I need to eat to survive, how humiliating!'_ " Belmont said in a mocking tone. 

"...I may have worked through lunch today," Merritt admitted sheepishly. 

"You-- Damn it, Merritt!" Belmont picked up his phone again. "We're ordering food right now."

Dinner ordered, Belmont walked to the kitchen and took out a bottle of wine. Merritt followed behind him and read the label. "You got a bottle of Deering White?"

"I had to call in a favour or two, but it was worth it. Tonight is special." Belmont grinned and poured them each a glass. "Though maybe we should wait until you've eaten something."

"I'll take small sips," Merritt replied, taking the glass closest to him and having a taste before Belmont had even put the bottle down.

"Hey, etiquette! How do you know I didn't poison that glass?" Belmont teased.

"You tried that once already tonight with your cooking," Merritt fired back with a cheeky grin. To balance things out, he kissed Belmont's cheek.

Belmont pretended to be offended, scoffing loudly then getting immediately distracted. "Speaking of my cooking..." he started as he walked to the fridge and opened it. "Let's go through these ingredients."

Merritt glanced over the recipe in the cookbook Belmont had used. Looking up at what Belmont had removed from the fridge, one item immediately caught his eye. It was a large jar that appeared to have carrot sticks and a few pieces of cauliflower floating in some kind of liquid. "What's that?"

"The vegetables," Belmont replied as he moved on to the pantry. "I didn't need the carrots so I just scooped out the onions and peppers."

"This recipe says to use raw produce."

"That stuff had bits of dirt on it, so I went with the clean ones in the jars."

"These are _pickled_ ," Merritt pointed out and Belmont gave him an uncomprehending stare. "... _In **vinegar**_."

"No, I rinsed them off before I put them there."

Like a true North Sphere elite, Belmont's desire to avoid dirt was his downfall. Merritt let out a small laugh. "Belmont. It doesn't work that way." He helped himself to a fork from the drawer and fished out one of the carrot spears from the jar. "Does this taste like a regular carrot to you?"

"No." Belmont maintained his composure after taking a bite, but that little vein in his forehead started twitching. "This is stupid. Are you telling me that everything would have turned out great if I bought filthy vegetables?"

"And washed them, yeah." Merritt laughed. "Cooking 101 -- you're going to have to get a little dirty sometimes."

"Sounds like politics." Belmont cracked a wry smile. He started returning ingredients to his fridge and cupboard. "Okay, but I definitely have the right ingredients in the morning. I triple checked. Flour, eggs, all that crap."

"Are you sure you didn't buy _pickled_ eggs?" Merritt teased over his shoulder as he collected new plates and utensils in anticipation for their meals being delivered from the restaurant.

Belmont gave him an incredulous look. "Well now you're just making shit up." He stared at the carton in the fridge. "...How would I know the difference?"

"Are they also in a jar?"

"No."

"Then you're probably fine." Merritt laughed. 

"...I don't want to mess this up for a third time."

Merritt put the dishes down on the table and walked back to where Belmont was still standing at the refrigerator. The eggs were in a regular carton, and definitely not pickled. "Those are good. Breakfast is going to be great."

Satisfied with the confirmation that he bought the right kind of eggs, Belmont let the fridge door swing closed and found himself being wrapped into a hug from Merritt. "What's this for?"

"I love you too." Merritt punctuated it with an extra squeeze around Belmont's waist.

"Like I didn't already know that," Belmont said with a scoff. 

Merritt didn't need to see his face to know he had also accompanied it with a roll of his eyes. He also knew that the way Belmont held him a little tighter and let out a soft sigh meant that he hadn't been nearly as confident about it as he pretended to be. Belmont was _rarely_ as confident as he pretended to be, but he could let his guard down with Merritt at least.

A soft beep came from the doorway, signaling a delivery had arrived in the dumbwaiter. "That's probably the food," Merritt said gently.

"I know," Belmont said, making no effort to let go. "I just want to stay in this moment for a little longer."

"Me too."

* * * * *

Merritt awoke first the following morning, although something told him it was closer to noon than his usual wakeup time. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept in, even on a day off. He couldn't remember a day when he had forgotten to set an alarm, either.

Belmont was still fast asleep, hair slightly tousled, long limbs tangled around Merritt. His face was relaxed and peaceful, free of the tension of his usual frowns and grins. He looked beautiful -- yet another word Merritt would never use to describe him out loud, but that didn't make it any less true either. Merritt shifted forward slightly, just enough so he could place a kiss on the bridge of Belmont's nose.

"What are you doing, weirdo?" Belmont asked, catching Merritt completely by surprise. His eyes were closed, but that trademark grin tugged at the corner of Belmont's mouth.

"Have you been awake this whole time?"

"I've been dozing off and on for most of the morning." Belmont finally opened his eyes. "What time is it now?"

"I have no idea," Merritt admitted with a chuckle. 

"What are you giggling about, nerd?"

Merritt smiled. "I'm not even sure. I don't think I've slept this much in years, maybe my brain can't handle actually being rested."

Belmont rolled their bodies so that he was on top of Merritt. "I must have really exhausted you last night..."

Merritt kissed him before answering, "You really did."

Belmont pushed the bangs back from Merritt's forehead and softly smiled down at him. "But you're feeling okay?"

"I feel great. You?"

"Better than ever."

With one more kiss, Merritt gently nudged Belmont off of him. "Then I think it's time for some breakfast."

Merritt got out of bed and despite much protest from Belmont, also got dressed. As a compromise, he wore the silky pajama set Belmont kept for him at his apartment instead of the uniform Merritt had worn there the night before. It was risky to keep too many things that obviously didn't belong to Belmont at his apartment, but there was a change of civilian clothes and a toothbrush tucked into the back of a drawer along with the pajamas. There was a similarly secret stash of Belmont's belongings at Merritt's quarters for those rare nights they were able to spend together in either place.

Belmont got dressed and joined Merritt in the kitchen for his breakfast lesson. He grimaced when one of his long fingers punctured the shell of an egg. "This is disgusting..."

"You get used to it," Merritt explained as he salvaged the contents of the egg and fished out a small piece of shell that went with it. "Try again, gently."

"I _have_ done this before, you know..." Belmont insisted.

Merritt knew that to be true, given the evidence left behind when Belmont had tried -- and failed spectacularly -- at making pancakes after their first night together. He wondered how many shards of eggshell ended up in that first charred pancake. The next egg Belmont cracked was perfection, and Merritt made a point of telling him so. "Perfect!"

"Of course it was. Don't sound so surprised," Belmont said with a grin.

"I never doubted you for a second." 

"Liar." Belmont kissed the side of his forehead as he walked past to the sink to wash his hands. "What's next?"

"Add those eggs and the milk to the dry ingredients I have here. Then we have to mix it."

"By 'we' do you mean me?"

Merritt shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "It's _your_ lesson."

Belmont scoffed but did as instructed, mixing a little too vigorously at first and sending splash of flour over the rim of the bowl and onto his hand. "Ugh."

Merritt put his hands over Belmont's and guided him. "Start slow."

Belmont raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to make a risqué reference to the late night that preceded this late-morning breakfast lesson, but decided against it. "Then what?"

"Then once it's mixed smooth, we scoop enough for one at a time into the pan and cook it." Merritt dabbed some of the spilled flour from the countertop onto his fingers and touched Belmont's nose.

"You--" Belmont put down the bowl and wiped the powder from his nose. "It's going to be like that then! Well--" He moved to scoop up more of the flour from the countertop but Merritt beat him to it, smearing more across Belmont's cheek before darting out of reach.

Merritt only got as far as the living room before Belmont caught up to him on his long legs and all but tackled him onto the couch, both men collapsing into full laughter. Belmont wiped what remnants he managed to scrape from the counter across Merritt's face. The laughter quickly turned to kissing and reminded Merritt of six months earlier when their rough-housing at the pond had taken a similar turn.

"We should probably finish making breakfast," Merritt said finally after their kissing grew slow and comfortable. 

"Probably." Belmont reluctantly let Merritt up and the two men returned to the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Merritt's waist from behind and watched over his shoulder as he demonstrated how to make the first couple pancakes. "Why don't you turn the heat up all the way, wouldn't they cook faster than this?"

"The outsides would burn before the middle cooked through properly," Merritt answered, and Belmont accepted the explanation without any further questions. Belmont was a perfectionist at heart, and Merritt knew that if he could memorize a poison formula after only a few seconds, he was most certainly committing every step of this process to memory. There was no cutting corners for Belmont -- if he needed to take time to get this right he would.

Merritt moved on to the second pancake and smiled at the sound of Belmont's quiet breathing next to his ear and the warmth of his arms around his abdomen. He thought about that morning at Devon's apartment when he couldn't even fathom someday having breakfast with Belmont, and the morning Belmont proved him wrong by attempting to cook breakfast unprompted and caused a small fire instead. The realization that Belmont would even try had meant the world to Merritt, and he wasn't sure he could ever find a happier moment. 

Until now. Cooking together -- the intimacy, the playfulness, the quiet calm as Belmont absorbed every word Merritt said and every action he made -- he loved this moment more than anything. It was everything Merritt ever wanted, and that scared him. He'd risked his life countless times before, but this private moment together completely devoid of expectations of society, class or etiquette felt more dangerous than any other. Was there a future where they could have this? Did he dare let himself dream about it?

"So... Are you going to let me do one, or...?"

Merritt realized that while lost in his thoughts, he had absentmindedly made most of the pancakes. "Oh. Yeah, sorry. There looks like enough batter for one more..." Merritt handed over the spatula and stepped back from the stove.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking... about how much I like this."

Belmont gave him a sad smile in response because he knew exactly how Merritt felt. He cleared his throat and scooped the last of the batter carefully into the pan. "It's not really fair, is it?"

"No. I wish every morning could be like this. Where we could live together and sleep in the same bed every night and make breakfast--"

Belmont laughed and nudged Merritt with his elbow. "I was _clearly_ talking about how you made all of the pancakes but this one. It's not fair. How am I supposed to learn?" 

That wasn't what Belmont had meant and they both knew it, but the theater mask was on his face. Merritt watched Belmont carefully flip the pancake at the exact right time without needing to be told. "I think you've got the hang of it."

"Thanks. I had a pretty good teacher."

"Or you're an exceptional student," Merritt mused.

"Well, that's a given--" Belmont slid the last pancake onto the stack and carried the plate back to the table. "Still had a great teacher, though."

Merritt smiled as he sat down and grabbed the top pancake as a way to show his appreciation for Belmont's effort. "That's nice of you to say. I--"

"That teacher is a bit of a freak in the bedroom. I mean, the things he did to me last night? **_Wow_**. I _cannot_ stop thinking about it. Filthy."

Merritt playfully threw a napkin at Belmont's head. "I take back all the nice things I said just now."

Belmont laughed. "What? That was a _compliment!_ "

"Sure it was." Merritt rolled his eyes, pretending to be offended. He reached for his glass of water, then realized that he didn't remember pouring it. 

"Don't look so shocked. It's not like it's a stretch for me to guess that you'd want water, Merritt. It's basically the only thing you care about in the entire world."

"That's not true. I also care a lot about... Charles." Merritt grinned.

" _Your plant?_ Your fucking _plant?_ "

"He's a succulent."

Belmont scoffed dramatically. "Oh! Well if he's a _succulent,_ then _of course--_ "

"Okay you can continue with your histrionics, but I'm going to eat this breakfast before the pancakes get cold." Merritt pointedly took a bite and dodged the crumpled napkin that Belmont threw back at him.

"You're not even going to pretend to listen to me complain about you?"

"Honestly? I only listen to about half of what you say on any given day."

Belmont laughed. "That's not _news_ , honey. You're the most insubordinate subordinate I've ever had. Never change."

"You sure about that?"

"Absolutely. You're the most fascinating little goober in the Underground."

Merritt laughed. "I'm not sure if this is still a compliment, but thank you."

"You know, constantly having to explain it whenever I pay you a compliment is going to give me a complex."

"Somehow, I think you'll manage."

"I'm just saying -- you're a cute little nerd and you're _my_ cute little nerd and that's a great feeling, you know?"

Merritt smiled. "You're my cute little nerd too."

"I'm 6'5"!"

"Still cute. _Adorable_ , even." Merritt, who had been eating his breakfast the entire time instead of talking like Belmont, finished his meal and stood up from his seat. He carried his plate over to the sink, then walked around behind Belmont's chair and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "Thank you for breakfast."

"You did most of the work."

"I disagree." Merritt kissed his cheek then whispered, "I'm going to take a shower to wash this flour out of my hair, so hurry up and finish eating so you can join me."

"Well I definitely don't want to miss _that_." Belmont took another bite of his breakfast and Merritt remained leaning on his shoulders. "You're just going to watch me eat?"

"Yeah, I thought I might." Merritt kissed down Belmont's neck to his shoulder. "Mannheim's right, you know? You talk too much when you eat and all your food gets cold."

"Oh? _Mannheim_ said that, did he? Since when are the two of you so close?"

"It was the quarterly review party." Merritt laughed. "What? Are you jealous of him or me? You should be happy that your lifelong best friend isn't actively rooting for my death anymore."

"We'll see if that's a good thing or not, I guess." Belmont took another bite. "What about your friends?"

"Oh, all my friends hate you," Merritt said. It was meant as a joke, but the words came out more bluntly than he intended. Belmont found it hysterical either way. "Except Balbo. Balbo thinks you're funny."

"I'm fucking hilarious. So I guess she's your only friend with taste, huh?"

" _Something_ like that." Merritt nuzzled his neck. "To be fair, nobody knows that we're together -- officially, at least. Archer has been questioning our relationship since long before it existed, and Ellis definitely suspects something but he would never ask me."

Belmont finished another bite. "You know, for someone who is complaining about how slow I eat because I'm always talking... You sure are talking to me a lot while I'm eating."

"I wasn't complaining about it."

"No?"

"Definitely not. I think it's cute." Merritt laughed and saw Belmont's ears turning red, the first sign that he was blushing. Also, very cute.

Belmont sighed as though pretending to be offended and brought the second last bite up to his mouth, then moved the fork in front of Merritt instead. "Have this bite. The sooner I'm done the sooner I can get you in that shower."

Merritt took the bite and a little giggle escaped the back of his throat. This was all so beyond what any North Sphere etiquette would allow. "I really love you," the words that had been so frightening to say the day before came out easily now. "I really, really love you."

Belmont pushed his chair back from the table enough to pull Merritt down into his lap. He kissed his lips gently, then rested their foreheads together. "I really, really love you too."

Merritt's heart soared and there was nothing that could be done about the dorky smile the crossed his lips. Belmont usually teased him about it, but instead he squeezed Merritt's hand. Neither man knew how long they'd get to have this, but they were going to savour every moment they could.

Belmont nudged Merritt back onto his feet and picked up his fork, collecting the last bite of pancakes from his plate. "You get a 15 second head start to get in that shower before I come over and show you how much I really, really mean it."

Merritt laughed and sprinted off to the bathroom but Belmont instantly caught up to him. "That wasn't 15 seconds!" Merritt protested with another laugh.

Belmont took a moment to finish chewing his last bite of food before speaking. "I was never really into shower sex before, but now fooling around in the water reminds me of that little pond."

Merritt hummed happily and let himself get lost in making out with Belmont for a few minutes, pressed back against the bathroom wall while the shower ran unused. "Did you have anything planned for the rest of the day?"

"Not in particular. I have a lot of ideas. _A lot_ of ideas."

"What if we took a little ride?" Merritt suggested. "We can pack up some food and a blanket--"

"--And wine?"

"Of course." Merritt laughed. He rubbed Belmont's shoulders. "We can take the Mantis out to the pond, have a little picnic -- it might even be warm enough to swim again without freezing to death."

"Hey, even just the fresh air will be a..." Belmont trailed off mid-sentence.

"A breath of fresh air?" Merritt finished for him with a grin. "Maybe you won't even scream the entire way there this time."

"Shut up." Belmont leaned in again and kissed Merritt's lips. "That ride is treacherous, you know?"

"But worth it?"

" _So_ worth it."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Check out Demon of the Underground at demonoftheunderground.com and the "Devoted: Merritt's Story" prequels on patreon!
> 
> Edited to add that Belmont's terrible dinner was inspired by this video: https://youtu.be/aQAauVu2sTg


End file.
